1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to sailing vessels and more particularly to that class utilizing control devices to automatically pivot a centerboard upon the angular diplacement of the mainsail boom away from the centerline of the craft.
2. Decription of the Prior Art
The prior art abounds with centerborad control devices. U.S. Pat. No. 61,049 issued on Jan. 8, 1867 to R. Chambers teaches a pair of angularly displaced centerboards each positioned exclusive of the other when the vessel is careened over by the force of the wind so as to place the lowered centerboard in a position substantially normal to the surface of the water. U.S. Pat. No. 2,653,563 issued on Sept. 29, 1953 to W. Long teaches a rudder linkage device to couple the vertical plane occupied by the rudder to the angular position of the boom of the mainmast so that the rudder is always maintained in a vertical plane relative to the surface of the water independent of the hull position so that the rudder will not create an excessive drag. U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,560 issued on Feb. 27, 1968 to F.M. Lucht discloses, in part, a centrally located rudder or centerboard device which may be manually rotated, for steering purposes whilst being maintained in a substantially vertical plane when the catamaran type vessel, disclosed therein, rolls from side to side. U.S. Pat. No. 2,608,173 issued on Aug. 26, 1952 to H.H. Kersten teaches a centerboard whose cross-sectional shape may be altered to dynamically represent a curved air foil, similarly to that of an aircraft wing so as to control the angle of incidence of the board and the degree of flexation thereof, tending to counterbalance the drift tendencies of the hull. All of the aforementioned patents suffer the common deficiency of failing to automatically cause the centerboard to pivot about a line substantially parallel to the mainmast when the boom, pivotably affixed thereto, swings from side to side due to the forces of the wind.